What does it do?
This is a second-generation model of Kodak’s original monochrome Prosper 1000 inkjet web press. The company, which just put its Prosper business up for sale, claims that the latest model is now the fastest black and white inkjet press on the market. The original, announced at Ipex 2010, sold in respectable numbers, mainly for on-demand book printing. Although Kodak officially declines to give prices, it seems that the new model also costs considerably less than the original.
When was it launched and what market is it aimed at?
The Plus was became commercially available last September last year. The primary market is still book printing, with direct mail as the secondary market.
How does it work?
It’s a relatively compact single-unit duplex continuous-feed inkjet press, with print width up to 622mm on web widths from 204 to 647mm. The speed is up to 300m per minute at a resolution of 600dpi on coated or uncoated papers from 45 to 175gsm. Kodak claims the quality is equivalent to 175lpi litho halftones, giving “exceptional text sharpness and graphics quality”.
Print length (equivalent to cut-off) is 1,370mm, which beats any of the long-sheet toner presses. Although Xeikon’s web-fed toner presses have in effect unlimited cut-off.
The inkjet technology is Kodak’s Stream continuous-flow heads (it calls them Jetting Modules), which generate a continuous stream of uniformly sized ink droplets directed by air blasts towards the substrate.If there is no blast, the ink is collected in a catch area and recirculated into the tanks.
The same heads are used in the full-colour Prosper 5000XL press and its replacement, Prosper 6000 as well as the Prosper S imprinting units that can be mounted on other presses or finishing lines.
The digital front-end is the 700 Print Manager, a powerful and scalable RIP, which is used with all of the Prosper and Versamark presses. It can be given enough oomph to deal with fully variable printing. This can also be connected to Kodak’s Prinergy factory workflow systems. A centralised console displays all the main functions, i.e. job level information and modifications, press settings and status; and service management.
Inline finishing is possible, although nearline work is probably going to be more practical due to speed mismatches and so a failure won’t take your whole system down. Will Mansfield, Kodak’s worldwide marketing director for Inkjet Printing Solutions, says: “GSS, Hunkeler and EMT, Megtec and Martin Automatic for auto splicer, Hunkeler, Magnum, MAN, Muller Martini, and Taiyo are commonly seen for book, commercial or newspaper finishing.”
How does it differ from the previous model?
The main difference is the maximum speed of 300m/min, up from 200m/min. There is also an ink saver mode, which can cut ink use by up to 30% depending on the application, micro-level text enhancement, a new finishing interface and reporting features.
Users of the original Prosper 1000 can upgrade to the same specification.
What’s the USP?
According to Mansfield, it’s the combination of being a compact single-engine perfecting press, the “exceptional text sharpness and graphics quality,” compatibility with a wide range of coated and uncoated papers (even glossy), “low cost” pigment ink and the long-life independent print modules.
What’s the throughput?
The increased top speed is equivalent to 4,364 A4 pages per minute. This is equivalent to 818 A4 books per hour, 2-up; or 1,350 B5 books 3-up; or 2,000 A5 4-up. In each case this is for a 320 page book, perfecting with trims.
How easy is to to operate?
Kodak says the DFE is “designed to enable high productivity for novice through expert users.” Printheads can be changed by operators and sent back for refurbishment (an unusual feature in this market).
What training support is on offer?
Training programmes and service support are customised to meet each configuration and can include a start-up service.
What does it cost?
Kodak isn’t saying. However, a news report in PrintWeek a year ago predicted it would cost about $939,000 (£615,000) excluding rewinder. If true, this is about half the price of the original Prosper 1000.
What is the sales target, how many are installed currently?
There are 20-plus monochrome presses worldwide using Stream technology, says Kodak. Almost all are the original model. The first Prosper 1000 Plus was installed at PA Hutchinson in the US.
SPECIFICATIONS
Speed Up to 300m per minute
Inkjet technology Stream continuous flow
Inks Aqueous pigment, black
Web widths 204 to 647mm
Max print width 622mm
Max print length 1,370mm
Stock weight range 45 – 175gsm
Resolution Equivalent to 175lpi litho halftones
Price Around £615,000
Contact Kodak 0845 602 5991 www.kodak.com
ALTERNATIVES
Canon Océ Jetstream 5500 Mono
The fastest mono system from the Océ JetStream Wide Series with print speeds up to 254m/min. It can be integrated with an array of finishing solutions suited to the required application. (Colour model is also available)
Speed 254m/min
Inkjet technology Océ DigiDot drop-on-demand, piezoelectric and Multilevel Technology
Ink Pigment
Paper widths 216 to 762mm
Max print width 750mm
Stock weight range64 to 157mm (extended range subject to paper testing)
Resolution Perceived 1,200dpi through Multilevel up to 200m/min, 600x480dpi and Multilevel at 254m/min
Price from £1.5m
Contact Canon 020 8588 8000 www.canon.co.uk
HP PageWide T260 Mono
HP calls all its inkjet web presses PageWide now, but the compact T260 Mono has been around for a few years. At 266m/min it’s faster than the original Prosper 1000 but slower than the new Plus.
Speed 266m/min
Inkjet technology PageWide single pass thermal drop-on-demand arrays
Ink Aqueous pigment
Paper widths 440 to 660mm
Max print width 630mm
Max print length 1,829mm
Stock weight range 60 to 215gsm
Resolution 1,200dpi across the width
Price Around £1m
Contact HP 0330 587 5113 www.hp.com
Xerox Trivor 2400 Inkjet Press
This press has just been launched alongside the Brenva HD Production Inkjet Press. Some details are incomplete, but it offers controllable drop sizes, the ability to use plain offset papers and comprehensive quality control within a compact footprint.
Speed Up to 200m/min
Inkjet technology Variable drop size
Ink Xerox HD inks
Paper widths Up to 508mm
Resolution Up to 1,200x600dpi
Price £875,000
Contact Xerox UK 0330 123 3245 www.xerox.com
